Roller Skate 101

Roller Skate 101

Roller skate bearings are an important part of the overall skate and certainly impacts how much fun we have skating. Without bearings you are not going to get too far. However, much of my writing in the coming months will show just how difficult and confusing it can be to find the perfect roller skate bearings. There is a lot …

Rolling down your local rink floor, you feel the wind in your hair as you glide smoothly across the surface. Your skates are barely making a sound as you effortlessly push again to pick up speed. One of the key parts of a roller skate that make this silky smooth speed a possibility are roller skate bearings. Roller skate bearings …

When you think of fitness and getting in shape, your mind probably almost immediately wanders to the well-known methods of weight loss. Going to the gym, walking, swimming, running, cycling, and yoga are most likely to be the things to come to mind. However, one popular sport to lose weight and get fitness levels up is often overlooked, and that’s …

Getting a new pair of skates is such an awesome feeling. The new smell of leather. No scrapes, scratches or dings on your new boots yet. The wheels and bearings are brand new. As you open the box, each skate is wrapped in its own plastic. You quickly tear through the box to get to the skates, slip them on to …

Next up on the Vanilla Skates Challenge is our very first quad skate review of the brand new Vanilla 360 jam skates. These new Vanilla skates just came out at the end of 2014 and they have been a pretty big hit with the jam skate community. Designed by the world-renowned jam skater, Tony Zane, these skates were built from the ground up with …

In this very first Vanilla Skates Challenge review, I will be covering a pair of skates that I have had for over a year now but have only worn a few times – the Vanilla Spyder inline speed skates. First, please note that I am a born quad skater. I have been a quad skater my whole life, so my review …

In my last blog post, I outlined how I am going to test all of Vanilla Skates’ products by the end of summer 2015 – September 22nd. I will be testing in total over 40 different Vanilla products from skates to plates to wheels and bearings. So, today’s post is all about selecting which pair of Vanilla skates I want to start with first. …

School is out, summer is here and as you start getting out to your local rink more, you are going to start noticing a few of your friends riding around in some pretty sweet, new Vanilla skates. For 2015, Vanilla has shaken up their product line quite a bit, and their new lineup has really started to intrigue this 40 year-old Rollerdad. Vanilla …

Before the invention of the MP3 player, one of the greatest things about going to a roller skating rink was the music! You had to skate up to the DJ and ask them to play your favorite song…and then wait. However, today, most people who regularly skate often come with their iPhone, a pair of earbuds and a long playlist to rock out …

Before you buy your next pair of roller skates or a new set of wheels, it’s important to understand what you need to look for to find the perfect set of wheels. Roller skate wheels are one of the most important parts of a skate. Here are 10 essential tips to help you make the right choice with that next …